The HP Elite Pad is aimed at business users who need the full power of the Windows operating system and the portability of a tablet.
The model in our review had a 10.1-inch capacitive touchscreen, the Intel Atom Z2760 1.8Ghz processor, 2 Gb of RAM, a 32GB SSD hard disk expandable through a microSD lot, an 8-megapixel camera and a front-facing 1080 HD camera for video conferencing, Wi-Fi, 3G (through a microSIM), and the 32-bit Win 8 version.
This is a tablet that aspires to provide the necessary computing power to demanding users and is powered by a processor not found on other popular tablets and has the full version of Windows. Complete with the HP ElitePad Docking Station, it transforms itself into a laptop computer.
On its own, it is not heavy at around 620 grams, but when the docking station is attached, it becomes rather heavier, matching if not exceeding the weight of 10-11-inch laptops. The tablet lacks a USB port and needs an adaptor to connect to an external drive if the dock is not available.
Booting and shutting down is very fast but multitasking in traditional Windows mode weighs down on the performance with just 2GB RAM. Battery life is good as the Atom processor is not very demanding, though this comes as the expense of processing power.
In tablet mode, the ElitePad is nice to use. The Metro desktop is fast and Wi-Fi connectivity is good. Once you switch to the traditional Windows interface, you get a 1024x768 resolution, which is not ideal for touch as the icons and graphics are rather small for large fingers such as resizing, closing and minimising windows.
HP Elite Pad review
A stylus (and HP makes available its own) would definitely help. It’s also a little strange to handle the full version of Windows with your finger after years using the mouse.
32GB of storage space is relatively spacious for a tablet but in ‘laptop’ mode this is definitely a non-starter and you need to have an external hard disk.
The Elite Pad does not come cheap on its own, and once you start adding accessories, you start to wonder how much you need to fork out to get it up and running to get the proficiency of a laptop. You also start wondering whether getting a laptop with a touch screen, a better processor, more RAM and a larger internal hard disk at around the same price would be a better option in terms of the weight you carry around compared to the Elite Pad and all its accessories. Then again, a hybrid touchscreen laptop is not a tablet.
The Elite Pad is indeed a strange animal: solid, powerful but expensive for a tablet intended for business users who need processing power to exploit Windows 8 Pro which traditional laptops provide and which the ElitePad however does not. There are a few compromises here that need to be made and potential buyers need to be aware of them. If they just want a simple business tablet, the ElitePad is a good choice.
The Elite Pad was made available for review by FGL Information Technology Ltd.